1. Fifteen years of evolving market requirements and technological possibilities

Could we have imagined at the turn of the millennium that the development of the Internet would revolutionize business models to such an extent that manufacturers would have to rethink the way they innovate, design and produce?

• Consumers are so demanding that when they order a product, they can expect to receive it within 24 hours, or even the same day.

• E-commerce platforms have become virtual shop windows for companies, offering consumers an almost infinite choice of products. Consumers can classify, compare, analyze and rate products. Long a symbol of the globalization of our economy, today they enable us to rediscover the ecosystems of short, local production circuits, and to have products delivered to our door in a confined space.

• Social networks have given consumers the power to give...